Recent inflation numbers from Nigeria are creating serious concern over the rising cost of food items in the country. But this is not Nigerians’ first encounter with food prices running hot, as the spikes date back roughly two decades. Between January 2003 and August 2021, the food inflation rate has raced to three major peaks. […]
GOP shutdown threat is the wrong way to win a budget war − history shows a better strategy for reducing the deficit
Congress has just days to keep the federal government from grinding to a halt, and a last-minute deal seems increasingly unlikely. The problem is that lawmakers need to pass a dozen appropriations bills – or a single continuing resolution – by Sept. 30, 2023, in order to keep the government’s lights on. But a key […]
how to reduce the burden
Injury to the face – from road traffic accidents, for example – can leave a person with a damaged appearance or functional impairment, like difficulty chewing. Treatment helps to restore facial appearance and function and can give some psychological relief. In Nigeria, facial injuries account for one out of every 10 bodily injuries. In a […]
Ghana and the IMF have struck a deal, but hard choices lie ahead
In mid-May 2023 the International Monetary Fund (IMF) finally approved a US$3 billion 36-month arrangement with Ghana. It immediately disbursed the first tranche of US$600 million. This is the second time in the past eight years that the country has approached the IMF. And it’s the 17th time since independence in 1957 – that’s roughly […]
Federal Reserve just hiked interest rates for the 7th time this year – so why are mortgage rates coming down?
The Federal Reserve raised interest rates by half a percentage point on Dec. 14, 2022, to a range of 4.25 to 4.5%, the seventh increase this year. So far in 2022, the Fed has lifted its benchmark short-term rate, which influences most other borrowing costs in the economy, by 4.25 percentage points from a low […]